The Afghan refugee was shot dead in the Yeola Taluka of Nashik district
The incident happened on Wednesday evening when Hazrat Khwaja Syed Zarif Maudood Chishty a 35-year-old Afghan refugee was murdered. He was popularly known as ‘Sufi Baba’ and was a known Muslim religious leader. Nashik Police confirmed that one accused has been detained. The search for two more suspects is ongoing. The incident took place in an open plot in the MIDC area of Yeola which is roughly 215 kilometres from Pune.
The three unidentified assailants shot dead Sufi Baba at point black range by three.
“Chishty was living in Nashik district for the past four years and was running a YouTube channel about religious discourse. He was also offered religious services. We suspect he was murdered by his driver and other accomplices in the vehicle” as Nashik superintendent of police Sachin Patil reported. Since Chishty was a refugee and an Afghan citizen the vehicle was registered under someone else’s name. Superintendent Patil said, “We are interrogating the person in our detention. Search is on for other two suspects”. Patil also reported that multiple bullets were fired at Chishty but the one that hit him in his forehead killed him.
The preliminary investigations suggested property or financial dispute could be the motive behind the murder. “Prima facie it seems to be a murder over property dispute and investigation is on. The victim had given money to another person to buy property and investigation is going on that count” said Yeola Rural police station in-charge Bhagwan Mathure. According to the eyewitnesses, Chishty was shot dead on the forehead and the murderers fled in Chishty’s SUV.
The case is registered under IPC 302 (murder) and relevant charges against the three accused in the Yeola rural police station.
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